Gus' Family
by FyreFlyODoom
Summary: A short piece where Gus comes to a realization about his family.


Gus stared at his family portrait he had to do for his kindergarten class and stuck his tongue in his cheek, trying to figure out what was so different from the ones his friends had drawn.

Looking over, he stared at Anna-claire's. Her's had a mommy and a daddy and another daddy and two little brothers. On his other side Adriano had drawn a mommy and a sister, but that was it.

"Gus, who's all these people in your family?" Anna-claire asked as she looked at his picture.

Smiling, Gud began to point to each of them and explain who they were. "This is Mommy and Mama. That's Daddy and Justin. This is Uncle Micheal and Uncle Ben and cousin Hunter. That's Auntie Em and Uncle Teddy. That's Grandma Debbie and that's Grandpa Vic, who's in heaven now."

Adriano leaned over and stared at his picture for a moment before asking. "Why don't you call Justin an uncle like the others?"

"'Cause he lives with Daddy, not off somewhere else like the others." Gus said as if they should understand that already.

"Oh... then why don't you call him daddy too? I mean he lives with your daddy... If you have two mommies why can't you have two daddies? I have two daddies. One lives with me and the other lives in New York." Anna-claire asked as she darkened the hair on the picture of her mother.

Gus thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "He would be my daddy, huh? But if I called them both daddy wouldn't that get confusing?"

"No, I call the daddy who lives with me Daddy and the one who lives in New York Papa. You could call him Papa Justin." Anna-claire said in a wise way.

Adriano nodded, his dark hair bouncing slightly. "That's what my mama calls my grandpa."

After a few moments of thought Gus smiled brightly and nodded. "He is my papa!"

This realization out of the way, the three friends got back to something much more important... coloring.

"Mommy? Can we go see Daddy and Papa?" Gus asked after dinner one evening a week later.

Lindsay looked to Melanie who shook her head, not understanding either. "Who do you want to go see, sweetie?"

"Daddy and Papa. Remember Papa said that he would let me fingerpaint next time I came over... So can we, please!" Gus turned his big hazel eyes on Lindsay.

As the two women realized who he meant the phone rang and their shock had to be put asside.

Melanie lifted it and answered. "Marcus-Peterson residence."

"Hey, Mel... Can I talk to my favorite little man?" Justin smiled as he continued getting things together for Gus' fingerpainting exploits should they agree to let him come over.

"Sure..." Melanie handed the phone to Gus, who took it and answered it in a very adult manner.

"Hello?"

"Hey, little man. What are you doing?" Justin couldn't help but smile at the simalarities betwen Brian and Gus.

"I just got finished with dinner... Can I come over and fingerpaint, Papa?" Gus smiled and turned on the full brights to his moms, hoping they would agree.

Justin stared at the phone for a moment before becoming slightly teary eyed. "That's what I was calling about. Why don't you give the phone to your Mommy and let me talk to her for a minute?"

"Okay, Papa. Love you." Gus handed the phone to Lindsay before getting up and running upstairs to get his things together to go finger paint.

"When did he start calling me papa?" Justin asked as soon as Lindsay got on the phone.

"I don't know... He just did it at the dinner table... Is that okay with you, Justin? If it's not we can talk to him." Lindsay didn't say how she felt it was a good idea. Gus couldn't get enough male influence in his life.

"It's fine... It was just a bit of a shock. So, Mommy can Gus come over to play?" Justin asked with a grin in his voice.

"Of course. Do you want him for just a couple of hours, or overnight since it's a Friday?" Lindsay asked as she reached out and petted Melanie's hair.

"Overnight, if it's okay."

"Overnight it is. I'll get his things together and drop him off in about an hour." Lindsay made her goodbyes and looked to Mel who grinned back and was already on the phone seeing if Micheal would take Jenny for the night.

Brian came home to find Justin and Gus in the middle of the living room floor on a large paint throw.

"Hey, Daddy!" Gus grinned and waved a paint smeared hand.

"Sonnyboy... so what are you two up to?" Brian sat his briefcare down and sqwatted down beside the paint throw to smile at his son then at his lover.

"Papa and I are painting, Daddy... Go put on your play clothes and come join us!" Gus pointed to an empty space between him and Justin.

Brian's eyes widen and looked to Justin who shrugged with a half smile.

"Okay, Sonnyboy. I'll go change into my... 'play clothes' and join you and papa." Brian's lip curled at the words 'play clothes' but Justin could see the smile in his eyes.

With a look to Justin that said 'we will talk later', Brian walked into the bedroom to change out of his Armani.

"I never would have thought that Brian Kinney would get down and fingerpaint." Justin laughed softly as they laid Gus down on the couch after he'd all but fallen asleep during his shower.

Brian's eyes narrowed a little, but their hazel depth sparkled with laughter. "Shut up, Papa..."

THE END


End file.
